Wheresoever you go,
go with all your heart. - Confucius
by Church of One

Next Tuesday, February 14th is Valentine's Day - a day for lovers, sweethearts, paramours ... and chocoholics. Like it, love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is an annual tradition that will see over one billion valentines will be given out worldwide, 85% of those by women. However you choose to celebrate the holiday, consider making it a little more special with something from Michigan.

There's plenty of delicious Valentine's Day recipes from Pure Michigan at Michigan.org. The Food Network also offers up some culinary advice for Valentine's Day complete with a full Valentine's menu. Lansing's WLNS CBS channel 6 website has a complete Valentine Day section on their website where you can learn all kinds of useful information including (who knew?) that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. The folks at the Grand Rapids Press and mlive.com have some tips for Valentine's Day cooking with kids.

We have to remind you that February is National Cherry Month and cherries make a great and healthy way to bring the distinctive Valentine red into your celebrations. An affordable and tasty non-alcoholic beverage are cherry sparklers made with Michigan cherry juice and sparkling water.

On the adult beverage front, a whopping 95% of wine drinkers agree that wine makes a perfect gift, and you can't go wrong with a  Michigan wine or  Michigan beer! The folks at MyNorth offer a listing of Northern Michigan sparkling wines to set the tone for your celebration. While bubbles are big, beers can also be appreciated. Dianna at Promote Michigan has let us in on her Love Affair with Michigan Beer, which features all kinds of special and regular brews from Michigan's brewmasters. You can stay awake Ann Arbor Brewing's Espresso Love featuring coffee, cozy up to the Decadent Dark Chocolate Ale from Atwater Brewing or go a little lighter with Dragonmead's Redwing Raspberry Wheat. This is a great feature so definitely check it out!

Ginny, You Are My Shining Star by docksidepress

If you're left scratching your head over what to buy him or her, check out the 'Valentine's Day Gift Giving Guide' from WLNS.com.  Don't forget the furry friends in your life either! You can be a homeless pets Valentine when WXYZ-TV 7 in Detroit hosts their Annual Valentine's Day Telethon to support the Michigan Humane Society. Tune in or donate online with the Michigan Humane Society!

If that's not enough and you really want to get your Valentine on, check out Absolute Michigan keyword Valentine for food & gift ideas.

For a little eye candy, you should check out the Valentine slideshow from the Absolute Michigan flickr pool!

We also have a large number of Michigan web sites to check out (though if we're missing one, be sure to add a link to it).

Flowers & Florists - say it with flowers

Chocolate - there's also candy companies

Candles - lighting the way for romance for thousands of years

Jewelry -silver & gold, platinum and bronze, pick your favorite.

Wow, you actually made it to the end of this post - don't forget to buy yourself a little something for Valentines Day!

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Over the eight days and nights of DDF—September 21 through September 28—a variety of Design Happenings will take place across at venues across the city of Detroit. The types of happenings will include studio tours, panels and roundtable discussions, fashion shows, and art battles to name a few.

Detroit Creative Corridor Center established the Detroit Design Festival to connect creative practitioners with one another, expose them to new markets and consumers, and of course put on display the creative talent that will help Detroit become a global center of creative innovation.

Art battles??!! Maybe someone can tell us what those are!

The site lists 85 Happenings, all "unfolded" in their blog. Competitions, presentations, panels, roundtables & lectures (Leon Krier next Tuesday sounds great), performances, benefits (25 chefs!), fashion shows, film screenings, cocktail receptions/dinners/parties, tours of all kinds, of art exhibits like Bordertown (cities and borders), Mind the Gap (public design ideas competition for Detroit's in-between spaces), Woodward Windows (empty storefront windows as galleries) - so many events of so many types at so many venues that it feels like Detroit may be generating some of the same energy that Grand Rapids will be for ArtPrize. Anyone think that the rest of Michigan should jump on board next year and celebrate the positive in all our communities?

Anyway, here's the video from detroitdesignfestival.com and we hope you get a chance to check out (and report on) some of the fun of DDF:

DDF - Fathead from Charlie Kelly on Vimeo.

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The Eyes Have It by pairadocs

Our favorite Michigan art event, ArtPrize, kicks off its third year in Grand Rapids this Wednesday. ArtPrize runs September 21 - October 9, 2011. It's billed as a radically open art competition that is open to any artist in the world who can find space and it is one of the most dynamic expressions of art in the world.

In their excellent ArtPrize 2011 Guide, mLive reports:

The first ArtPrize drew an estimated 200,000 people to downtown Grand Rapids, more than 37,000 of whom cast more than 334,000 votes in the exhibition with work by 1,262 artists. ArtPrize 2010 drew as many as 400,000 people who voted 465,000 times for 1,713 works of art.

...Some 1,582 works of art go on display in 163 venues downtown plus Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park a few miles away.

ArtPrize 2011 poster by Square One Design

Click through for some cool stories on 2011 such as news that Facebook creative director Ji Lee is entering for 2011 and a feature on 2011 ArtPrize venues.

The heart of ArtPrize is the public vote, and you can pre-register right now at ArtPrize.org. FYI, if voting is the heart, than the lungs of ArtPrize are participation and presence, and to activate your account, you have to go to Grand Rapids (which explains the phenomenal support that GR businesses and organizations provide the event).

Some great places to go for ArtPrize media include the ArtPrize Tumblr, the ArtPrize Facebook, ArtPrize Twitter and #ArtPrize on Twitter,  and the  ArtPrize YouTube.

Speaking of YouTube, a few cool videos we found include a check-in at yesterday's ArtPrize artist reception at the B.O.B., an analysis of the public's vote (and taste in art), a tour of ArtPrize neighborhoods, a look at the new ArtPrize HUB, and the cost of ArtPrize to artists. Below is the featured video from ArtPrize's channel, a look at 2010 from Brian Kelly. Hopefully Brian will be kicking out more great videos this year! we hope all you photographers will post your ArtPrize photos in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!

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Traverse City Wine & Art Festival, 2010 by KatSwinehart

The 2011 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival takes place Saturday, August 20th from 3-10 PM on the beautiful front lawn at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, rain or shine. It's Michigan’s premier celebration of wine, art, food and music, offering an incredible opportunity to taste wines from 24 wineries as you dance, dine, and see extraordinary performers, art and artists.

The wines & wineries are the heart of the festival and the large wine tent is dedicated to featuring well over 100 wines from the Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula and - for the first time - Benzie County. Attendees can choose a tasting or full-glass pour and have a chance to talk with the winemakers and winery reps to learn more about the wines. The 2010 vintage is spectacular, and this is a fantastic opportunity to try the riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot blanc, cabernet franc and a host of other varieties that are making a lot of noise at wine competitions around the country!

The festival also features a great lineup with some of Michigan's finest musicians. Michigan jazz/folk great Claudia Schmidt kicks things off  and then joins Rachel Davis and Shout Sister Shout. It will be the first time Claudia and Shout Sister Shout have taken the stage together, an event that promises to be one of those "better not miss it" nights. Steppin' In It goes electric and will keep you dancing into the evening. There's also a wide range of performances including dancers, performance artists and the Sweet Adelines.

In addition to a wide selection of art for show & sale and gourmet food from many of the region's finest restaurants for purchase, there's even a chance for YOU to get into the act with "Fashion Is Art". This new feature that invites you to don your most innovative attire for a chance to win the Grand Prize, a spa weekend for two at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa. Get tickets & lodging package information at traversecitywinefestival.com and check their Facebook for a ticket deal that ends TODAY.

To enter to win a pair of tickets to the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival and to be entered in every one of our Festival Summer giveaways, just join our email list using the form below!

Here's Shout Sister Shout for your listening pleasure!

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Black Jake and the Carnies
by Roots Jamboree

The Michigan Roots Jamboree is a two-day outdoor music and art festival in beautiful Riverside Park in Ypsilanti that takes place Friday & Saturday, August 5 & 6 and features 25 bands from rock to bluegrass to jazz and funk. It's an exciting, family-friendly camping event that is sponsored by the Depot Town Community Development Corporation. All proceeds from this non-profit event go to support support projects aimed at improving the quality of life in Ypsilanti, and Absolute Michigan has a pair of weekend camping passes coming for one lucky winner! (enter below)

Live Art by Roots Jamboree

The Jamboree showcases the finest talent the midwest has to offer including Ella Riot (formerly My Dear Disco), NOMO, Steppin' In It, The Werks, Frontier Ruckus, Hoots & Hellmouth, Theo Katzman & Love Massive, Dragon Wagon, Graham Parsons and the Go Rounds, The Floorwalkers and more. Click here for the full schedule. A unique feature is that each band will be accompanied by a live artist on a side stage, and there will be a silent auction for the artists’ work at the festival so that you can take home and cherish your favorite moments forever with an original piece by a Michigan artist!

The festival will once again offer overnight tent camping on both Friday & Saturday at Frog Island Park. After a fun day of great music, food, and activities, you can sleep out under the stars and experience the only urban camping adventure in Ypsilanti. Within the secure camping area, there will be music, food, and plenty of fun on both Friday and Saturday night. Purchase your tickets early because space is limited!

The Jamboree - 2009 by Roots Jamboree

In addition to the music, you can get a taste of the area’s greatest food, including vegetarian options & choose from a variety of both locally and nationally brewed beers. You will also be able to browse the wares of some of Washtenaw County’s most talented artisans. Don’t forget that children under 12 get in free to the Jamboree, and there's a kids’ tent with a variety of games and activities for your little music lovers.

As promised, we'll be giving away a pair of tickets to the Michigan Roots Jamboree. All you need to do to be eligible for this and every one of the Festival Summer giveaways is to have your address on our email list - add it below!

Here's Ella Riot aka My Dear Disco showcasing their incredible live energy!

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Expanse by g. s. george

You don't have to travel far when you live in Michigan to find a whole lot of fun. We encourage you to support the festivals, events, cities and businesses that are making all the cool things happen around the state. So get out this summer and have some fun and create some great memories in the process. Carpe diem!!

As usual we by no means have listed all the events happening around Michigan. Add ones we missed (with links) in the comments below!

July Quotes

"Many public-school children seem to know only two dates: 1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either occasion. - Mark Twain

"Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels." - Mark Twain

"Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit." Henry David Thoreau

"You know, when you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook's year. I get more excited by that than anything else." - Mario Batali

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard

Fast Facts - via Wikipedia's July entry

• The second half of the year commences in July
• The birthstone for July is a red ruby
• July was renamed for Julius Caesar... Previously, it was called Quintilis...

Also be sure to check out Pure Michigan's July Event Round-up and our Absolute Michigan Event Calendar for more great Michigan events!

July 2 - 9
National Cherry Festival Traverse City
The National Cherry Festival features over 150 events including free air shows over the Bay, colorful parades & marching bands, music shows, sporting events, rides & carnival games on the midway, pie-eating contests, clean blue skies, warm sunshine, crowds of smiling faces, and loads of luscious cherries prepared every way you can imagine!

July 8 - 9
Michigan Elvisfest Ypsilanti
The world-renowned Michigan Elvisfest began in 2000 in Ypsilanti, Michigan's Historic Depot Town. Beautiful Riverside Park is the place where Elvis fans flock by the thousands every July to pay homage to the King of Rock & Roll and to hear the most award-winning professional Elvis Tribute Artists in North America, as well as other talented Legend Tribute Artists.

July 8 - 10
Blissfest Cross Village
The 30th Blissfest Music Festival will be a celebration of music, culture, art and community featuring a world of diverse and innovative folk and roots music and dance at the Festival Farm in picturesque rural northern Michigan. It is truly a blissful musical weekend to be shared with families, friends and music-lovers of all ages. The annual event is a showcase of the many musical styles that define American roots and world music. Bluegrass, Blues, Cajun, Celtic, Folk, Jazz, Latin, Ethnic, World music and dance all share the stage.

July 9 - Aug 7
Silver Leaf Renaissance Faire Battle Creek
Neither heat, rain nor scary beast will shut their gates that hold jousting and performances and all manner of medieval fun. The Faire is also West Michigan's premier Artisan Marketplace with over 100 vendors selling their wares and crafts, you will find everything from turkey legs to wood-carving, leather to silks, and blacksmiths to fairy wings.

July 14 - Aug 7
The Michigan Shakespeare Festival Jackson
The Michigan Shakespeare Festival has been presenting the timeless themes and glorious language of William Shakespeare since 1995, growing each year into a premier regional event that draws respected actors from across the nation, and satisfied audiences from throughout the Midwest.

July 14 - 17
Venetian Festival St. Joseph
The name implies gracious glides on a glowing river and the gentle sounds of water rippling as gondoliers pole their slender boats and sing soft love songs to couples snuggled in the bows. Such were the hot days and long nights in Venice, Italy, where Venetian Festivals started so many years ago. In St. Joseph, they still celebrate hot July days and long summer nights with boat rides and love songs and couples holding hands. The Venetian Festival on the St. Joseph River is all of that plus music, fine food and fun for all ages!

July 14 - 17
Concert of Colors Detroit
The Concert of Colors is metro Detroit's free annual diversity music festival. It is presented by ACCESS/Arab American National Museum, New Detroit Inc. and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) with the goal of bringing together metro Detroit's diverse communities and ethnic groups by presenting musical acts from around the world. Over its 17-year history, the festival has become a beloved highlight of metro Detroit's summer festival season.

July 15 - 16
Michigan Storytellers Festival Flint
It’s free fun for all INSIDE the Flint Public Library. Don’t miss our master storytellers who bring the oral tradition to life. As always there will be several workshops and storytelling concerts during the day on Saturday with storytellers in concert beginning at 7PM on Friday and Saturday.

July 16 - 17
Quake on the Lake Waterford
Over the past 10 years, the "Quake" has become on of Oakland County's must-attend events and is the North American Inboard Hydroplane Championship. The event is the proud holder of 17 American Power Boat Association (APBA) world speed records being set in 5 different racing classes making Pontiac Lake one of the fastest one-mile race courses in the country! There's also music from Rare Earth, the Verve Pipe and others.

July 16 - 17
Ragtime Street Fair Dearborn
Savor an American original -Ragtime music. You'll hear Scott Joplin rags like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer" along with  much, much more as scores of other musicians travel from all over the country to perform on nearly a dozen stages throughout Greenfield Village. It's syncopated, jazzy, hot and live. Fresh summer food, too, and dancing in the streets!

July 20 - 23
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair Ann Arbor
Established in 1960, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is the Original of the now four award-winning Ann Arbor Art Fairs: The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original, The State Street Area Art Fair, The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair and the Ann Arbor's South University Art Fair. Together, the fairs attract over a half a million attendees from across the nation. The Original Fair was named the Number One Art Fair in the country by AmericanStyle magazine readers survey (October 2004) and has made the Top Ten Fairs and Festivals list every year since.

July 22 - 23
Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival Ypsilanti
The Summer Beer Festival is the Michigan Brewers Guild's oldest and largest of our four annual festivals. The festival takes place outside in a lovely riverside setting and will feature more than 300 different beers from more than 50 different Michigan breweries. A variety of tasty food items are available for purchase from independent food vendors inside the festival and there will be a diverse selection live music from a variety of local bands.

July 26 - 31
Traverse City Film Festival Traverse City
The Traverse City Film Festival has grown to become one of the largest film festivals in the Midwest, and one of the most respected in the country. Last year, there were over 80,000 admissions to nearly 100 screenings, a number of them U.S. or world premieres. A special emphasis is given to foreign films, American independents, documentaries, and films which have been overlooked but deserve the attention of a public starved to see a good movie.

July 29 - 31
Yale Bologna Festival Yale
Every July Yale plays host to the Yale Bologna Festival, a 3 day weekend event that closes the streets and transforms this small community of just under 2,000 to a gathering of over 20,000 Bologna starved party-goers! A tradition in Yale since 1989, this festival has grown considerably since its humble beginnings. The festival draws people from all around Michigan as well as other states, eager to see who will be the next King and Queen of Bologna. The Bologna Festival includes such events as the famed outhouses races, a street dance, fireworks and a parade down Main Street that continues to grow each year.

July 29 - Aug 7
Coast Guard Festival Grand Haven
The United States Coast Guard has a long and prestigious history in Grand Haven and around the world. Celebrate the Coasties with activities, events, and attractions for all ages. Many are free, and you will find plenty of fun and choices from Kid's Day to the Street Dance and Cruise-In Car Show, to carnival rides, picnics, parades, fireworks and ship tours.

July 30 - 31
Art On The Rocks Marquette
Located in a beautiful wooded area on the shore of Lake Superior in north Marquette, the annual Art On The Rocks at Presque Isle Park features a huge variety of artwork in all media for show & sale.

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The perfect piece for 4th of July - have a great weekend!

Thomas Moran, owner of Moran Ironworks in Onaway, expresses his patriotism in a big way and not just on the 4th of July. His giant sheet metal head of George Washington can be seen on M-68 just outside that town year round, as can his Liberty Bell in Onaway and bald eagle in Alpena.

A self-taught artist and son of a lumberjack, Moran learned to fabricate metal in high school shop class, and kept it up as a hobby. He began creating the massive sculptures to spice up Onaway's Independence Day parade, and now his works are sprinkled around Michigan. A giant gun, water pump and the World's Largest Chain Saw decorate the parking lot of Da Yooper Store in Ishpeming, while Cheboygan boasts an oversized cantilever hook, fresh water aquarium, globe and ax.

Moran's work is not to be taken lightly; his head of Washington weighs 6,000 pounds. The curly metal strands of Washington's metal wig weight 2,000 pounds alone. Fans of roadside art all hope Moran keeps creating these well-crafted eye-poppers. Moran says his inspiration is just something inside of him.

See it all at Moran Iron Works!

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This very popular Wheatland event is for those seeking more personal instruction in traditional dance, music, song, arts and crafts.   Primitive camping is available at no cost to weekend registrants and participants can pre-register for the entire weekend or for a single day. The Daily/Weekend prices for Adults $40/$75, Children 11-15 $12/$20,   Children 5-10 $5/$5 kids with under 5 free! No registration is necessary for evening concerts/dances ($5 each or 3 night pass for $10). Get all the details right here.

Here's a video of Meghan McCartney & Nick Gareiss performing a percussive duet dance at Wheatland TAW 2010.

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ArtPrize - Vision by David Spriggs
by Canon Screwdriver (gary syrba)

ArtPrize (Sep 21 - Oct 9, 2011) is a radically different art competition that gives away huge cash prizes, $250,000 to the winner and nearly a half a million dollars total and it's all decided by a public vote! Venue registration has closed and now from April 18 - June 16th, artists can register to participate.

mLive reports that ArtPrize 2010 featured 1,713 artists from 44 U.S. states and 21 countries. Follow that link for a look at what some folks who are returning are thinking about including news that:

Members of the ArtPrize 2010 team that created "SteamPig" are looking at creating an ArtPrize 2011 entry involving a sculpture of a troll near the Blue Bridge downtown over the Grand River.

“We have some concepts for a large, mythical troll to be placed under the Blue Bridge, reaching up to the side with headlights for eyes and grass, trees and moss covering the piece,” said team member Thomas Birks.

They add that it looks like there might be a couple more venues in 2011 and that 55 of them are new venues.

It you're looking for help funding a project, check out the ArtPrize Assistance page.

Here's a great video from Brian Kelly Photography.

ArtPrize 2010 Retrospective from Paul Moore on Vimeo.

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Cavalry by pairadocs

ArtPrize, the radically open, radically cool art competition that awards the world's largest art prize has issued their call for ArtPrize 2011 artists. The wildly successful event will return to Grand Rapids September 21 through October 9, 2011. ArtPrize has no formal jury, curator or judge, allowing the public to choose the winners.

ArtPrize 2010 presented the work of over 1,700 artists, tallied 465,000 votes and awarded almost $500,000. It's one of the most amazing events in Michigan and the nation, and Absolute Michigan will once again report on ArtPrize and also provide in-depth features and interviews leading up to the event. You can see coverage from past years including ArtPrize 2010 winner Chris LaPorte of Grand Rapids at absolutemichigan.com/ArtPrize.

Artist will want to note that Venue Registration opens Monday, March 14 and closes Thursday April 14 while Artist Registration is Monday, April 18 through Thursday, June 16. From May 31 to June 30, artists and venues will connect. ArtPrize Executive Director Bill Holsinger-Robinson says:

"A lot of the most memorable work in the event is created for a specific space. Artists will know all the venues available as they register. The vast majority of artists who did not secure a venue in 2010 were the ones who signed up at the last minute. Register early!"

Here's a great video overview of ArtPrize that lets you know more about the incredible impact and reach of this event. Many more from ArtPrizeGR on YouTube!

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Cafe Society portrait by William Hosner

Jennifer Goulet, president of Artserve Michigan says that art can be a concrete economic development tool (ArtPrize anyone?) and create cities where young, talented professionals want to live. She explains:

Arts and cultural institutions, attractions, museums, galleries, concert halls and so forth contributed 15% of the state's cultural tourism revenues - it was 1.8 billion dollars. More than golf courses. And I think putting it in that context, that's a major contributor to the state.

All of those businesses are adding jobs in local communities. Those are all job-holders that are paying taxes locally and at the state level. They are people who are buying groceries, and buying gas, and shopping in their local communities.

In this fantastic documentary, Michigan Radio Arts & Culture Reporter/Producer Jennifer Guerra talks with all kinds of people from Dan Austin of the website Buildings of Detroit about the some of America's finest architecture and the phenomena of "ruin porn" to Traverse City artist Bill Hosner who started a cool Café Society project that uses art to create scholarships for baristas in Northern Michigan.

One of the many artists interviewed was cellist Andrea Moreno Beals of Breathe Owl Breathe. She kicks this video off and you should check it out as well!

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Huron River by Ann279

Our friends over at the Great Lakes Echo tipped us off to an interesting thing that the University of Michigan is doing. It's called The Water Semester. The semester celebrates water in all forms through courses, public lectures, exhibitions, performances, and explores water from diverse perspectives, including water in art (and music!), water in literature, the role of water in shaping human history, the origins and physics of water on Earth and beyond, and exploration of the global water crisis and water sustainability on local, regional, and global scales.

There will be a keynote "The World is Blue" on January 26th by TED Prize winner, National Geographic Explorer & Oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Earle is the founder of Mission Blue and you can see her amazing and sobering TED presentation below.

Other highlights include a Water Careers Fair on February 16, showings of movies including michigan produced FLOW: For Love of Water (Jan 27), a lecture on Art and the Environment with philosopher David Abram and dance educator Jennifer Monson (Mar 19), workshops on a variety of topics including Photographing Water, a Science Café regarding Water, Oil, and Energy at Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub (Feb 9) and family events including a Water Discovery Day (Mar 25).

Amazing kudos to the U of M for developing the The Water Semester. Click over for much, much more including how you can take steps to make a difference in one of the most important issues of our time.

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The winners of ArtPrize 2010 were announced last night in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids resident Chris LaPorte took top honors and $250,000 for his work Cavalry, American Officers, 1921, a phenomenally detailed work in pencil. Svelata by Mia Tavonatti and Lure/Wave, Grand Rapids (Lure/Forest) by Beili Liu rounded out the top 3.

Svelata by Mia Tavonatti Lure/Wave, Grand Rapids (Lure/Forest) by Beili Liu

Here's WOOD-TV's interview with the winner:

Photo Credits:

• ART PRIZE 2010 WINNER by RichardDemingPhotography
• Art Prize Awards 2010-2956 by RichardDemingPhotography
• Cavalry, American Officers, 1921 (detail) by sparky05
• artprize5593top10 by wizardkitten
• Untitled by chad

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In a matter of hours, we find out which artist from ArtPrize's Top 10 walks away $250,000 richer, and winner of ArtPrize 2010, a 19-day event that has transformed Grand Rapids into an art-lover's paradise. Did you see the splash of coverage on the "Today" show today? How cool.

Join us tonight as we cover every moment of tonight's big announcement, live.

It all starts at 5:20PM 10/7/2010... Tune in, it should be really cool!!!

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"Detroit Industry" - Detroit Institute of Arts
( Diego Rivera ) by DetroitDerek

All week Absolute Michigan is talking about Detroit. With a wealth of museums including the Detroit Institute of Art, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, lots of public art and sculpture, artist venues like Detroit Artists Market and art schools such as the Detroit School of Art through Detroit Public Schools, the College for Creative Studies, Detroit definitely has a strong tradition in the arts. Detroit just wrapped up their annual Gallery Week, but you can get a sense of where the galleries are and what they're doing at Art Detroit Now.

One factor that is overlooked but is contributing to a resurgence of art in Detroit is how affordable real estate is in the city. A prime example of what this allows is the 2.2 million square foot Russell Industrial Center was built in 1925 and designed by famed architect Albert Kahn. It served the auto and other industries for over half a century. In 2003 it was purchased by Dennis Kefallinos and has been transformed into one of the largest art/small business facilities in the Midwest, housing over 150 commercial tenants: architects, painters, clothing designers, glass blowers, wood craftsman, metal sculptors, graphic designers with space for hundreds more.

The quotation above comes from a Michigan Radio feature exploring how artists are finding affordable space in Detroit. Hear the full interview above or watch most of it with a slideshow below!

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ArtPrize - Vision - drawn towards the eye
by pentax hammer (gary syrba)

The Top Ten entries for ArtPrize have been announced. We present them below the video in random order.

For Week 2 of ArtPrize you get ONE vote (but you can change it through the week). Voting ends at midnight on October 6th and the winner of the $250,000 ArtPrize will be announced on Thursday, October 7 at 6:30 PM at the Steelcase Ballroom in DeVos Place.

Before we look at the artists, let's tour the Top Ten with WOOD-TV. You can also check out video of the Top 10 the announcement.

salt & earth ...Young Kim

Svelata by Mia Tavonatti

Helping mom by Wander Martich

SteamPig by Steam Pig Experiment ...

Vision by David Spriggs

A Matter Of Time by Paul Baliker

Lure/Wave by Beili Liu

Dancing With Lions by Bill Secunda

Elephant Walk by Fredrick Prescott

Cavalry by Chris LaPorte

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Garden for Patricia by pairadocs

Absolute Michigan is featuring ArtPrize, the world's largest public art competition that takes place in the city of Grand Rapids through October 7. One thing I found when I was there this weekend was that there was so much to see that I felt a little lost. We've put together these links to help you see what you need to see!

The ArtPrize site lists the Top 25 works - you'll probably want to check as many of those out as you can. Personally, however, I found a lot more works that didn't make the top 25, or even 50. They have a cool feature called Mixed Reviews that shows works that have a lot of "up" and "down" votes (sumo wrestling amphibians anyone?).

mLive has probably the best ArtPrize coverage. Here's their must-see ArtPrize entries and also a cool look behind the scenes art ArtPrize exhibition centers. I've also enjoyed Rapid Growth's art prize features. The ArtPrize blog has some good stuff as does ArtPrizeGR. Michigan Radio has a nice feature on the opening of ArtPrize, which one Grand Rapids leader says "is better than the Super Bowl."

#ArtPrize on Twitter is a great place to find out about art scattered around the city and what people are thinking about it. Today I learned about an Ernie Harwell inspired painting, how ArtPrize is filling hotel registers and this cool video of a little kid playing one of the "Play Me" community pianos. Over the weekend I learned about the mean but funny site, ArtPrize Worst (where I learned that next year ArtPrize will become DragonPrize and that someone stole Jim Morrison's head for a mermaid).

You Are Here by thomasgvsu

ArtPrize app for iPhone was pretty useful for finding venues. Speaking of phone apps, you can use the SCVNGR app for iPhone or Android to explore ArtPrize. Much more about getting around ArtPrize on Absolute Michigan.

There are a number of photographers in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr have been posting some great photos from ArtPrize, and the Official ArtPrize group on Flickr has nearly 10,000 photos and they're holding an ArtPrize Photo Contest!

There's a lot of video out there including a nice montage and a closeup look at one of my favorite entries, Jeff Zimmerman's mural on the Kendall School of Design. My favorite is the video that photographer Brian Kelly is producing for ArtPrize. You can see them all on the ArtPrize channel. Blast off with Rocketman Jimmy Descant:

Much more ArtPrize coverage on Absolute Michigan.

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With Absolute Michigan's ArtPrize coverage in full swing, it seemed fitting to feature an ArtPrize photo today. I was happy to find that one of the most prolific Grand Rapids photographers in the Absolute Michigan pool hadn't yet been featured so...

RichardDemingPhotography (Richard Deming Jr.) writes:

My life is made up of the simple, sensitive, emotions towards the people, the world, and the lives around me. My love is my family, arts, design, seeing the world with new eyes each day. Photography is my passion along with food, and making people laugh and hoping I have touched them with my work.

Check out his many sets including Fall in Michigan 2010, Tall Ships Festival 2010, Grand Rapids Art Festival, Farmers Markets and his rapidly growing ArtPrize 2010 set (slideshow).

Dive into his Flickriver.

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ArtPrize 9 22 2010 by RichardDemingPhotography

OK, hope your blood is moving now. Here's some highlights to help you get your feet moving...

One of my absolutely favorite musicians is Michelle Shocked and she's in Grand Rapids tonight at 8 PM. If you can get there, don't miss   at the Wealthy Theatre.

Neighborhood Parties start today. Westside is an untraditional night at the movies TONIGHT Thursday, September 23 (8 - 10:30 PM). Hillside is Friday, September 24 (5 - 7 PM) and spotlights the talent of Grand Rapids' theatre district for a beer-tasting happy hour. Center City is Saturday, September 24 (7-10 PM) will feature the first of three concerts in the ArtPrize 2010 Concert Series. Hillside is Sunday, September 26 (2 - 4 PM) and is an all-ages and family event with a community canvas and ive folk-rock music by Chicago-based band Common Shiner. Monroe North is Monday, September 27 (8 - 10 PM) and is Game Night with artists and public squaring off in competition.

ArtPrize Concert Series The ArtPrize Concert from 7-10 PM takes place at Rosa Parks Circle (Monroe Ave and Monroe Center) and features Surfer Blood, an indie-rock band from West Palm Beach. On Saturday, October 2, pop-singer Natasha Bedingfield headlines will perform with special guests: David Archuleta and Hot Chelle Rae.

Artist Beili Liu's "Lure/Forest" by paulh192

ArtPrize Speaker Series will be held at The Hub and features 8 days with distinguished art experts, artists, designers, and more. Evening events include a cocktail hour and cash bar and daytime events have lunches available for purchase.

The Top 10 Announcement takes place at 6 PM on Thursday, September 30 at Rosa Parks Circle. Following the announcement, Grammy-nominated act Five For Fighting will perform select songs.

The ArtPrize Winners Announcement takes place Thursday, October 7 at 7 PM.

The ArtPrize Art Fair at DeVos Place will allow you to browse or buy artwork from over 50 registered ArtPrize artists.   It takes place September 24-26.

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Walkers by RichardDemingPhotography

ArtPrize 2010 officially starts today and runs through October 10th. With over 1700 registered artists and nearly 200 venues you may find that seeing what you want to see is a daunting prospect. We spent some time learning about a few ways to make this easier...

You'll definitely want to hit the exhibition centers for the high level of art concentration, but last year we found that there were so many more cool scenes to check out. To aid you in your quest to uncover these hidden gems, there's the ArtPrize map on Google with information about all the venue locations. WOOD-TV has a look at the venues off the beaten path and some ideas for getting around.

This year they're running an ArtPrize shuttle. To ride, all you need is a $5 wristband that also gives you free rides on any RAPID bus!

You can navigate on the ground, vote and get ArtPrize updates with the ArtPrize iPhone app.

mLive has a great report on "The Hub" - the HQ for ArtPrize at the old Federal Building. One of the very cool features they will have is a Heat Map that will track what's hot on social media. Here's the video tour of the Hub:

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It's about getting that vision across to other people and getting them excited about it.
~Joachim Jensen, monster-model maker for the SteamPig Experiment
via ArtPrize spurs entrepreneurism among artists in the Grand Rapids Press

For anyone who wonders what the folks behind the super-cool Nessie Project in last year's ArtPrize are up to, I bring you Steam Pig:

Description of work: a large three-dimensional multi-media sculpture of a Steam Operated Flying Porcine Craft...the logistics of building 'Parsifal' the SteamPig are just as daunting as they were for building Nessie. Think turn-of-the century industrial revolution in modern times... the flying machines of the early 1900s and an animal that shouldn't fly... An homage to the machinist mentality of the late 1800's and early 1900's, the steam engines that propelled the railroad and images from novels by authors Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

Indeed. Fly your pig (or other porcine conveyance) over to steampig.com to check out the sketches and photos of the build down at the B.O.B. and stay tuned to Absolute Michigan for your ArtPrize 2010 coverage!

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Every so often I find that a photographer I have long admired hasn't yet been featured in one of our Absolute Michigan Photo Fridays.

yodraws (Yolanda Gonzalez) writes that she dabbles in illustration, graphic design, crafts, photography, parenthood, gardens and mojitos. Sometimes she gets paid for illustration and design (and she wishes to be paid for mojito drinking someday). Having seen her "Dresses Like the Sky" exhibit above at last year's wonderfully amazing ArtPrize, I would say that Yolanda does a little more than dabble in crafts.

Check it out in her ArtPrize 2009 slideshow. Her other sets include Fulton Street Farmer's Market, interestingness, Festival of the Arts, GR Hearts Art and Somewhere in Michigan (slideshow).

Dive into her Flickriver and see this photo and many more in our ArtPrize 2009 video!

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Face Paint by TerryJohnston

Last year ArtPrize in Grand Rapids launched and was the most successful art event in Michigan's history, attracting 200,000 visitors to see the work of over 1000 artists in every media from fine art to paper airplanes. In 2009, Absolute Michigan was on location for ArtPrize and I have to say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to see this city transformed into a giant gallery teeming with active, engaged crowds of people looking this way and that, trying to take in a mind-boggling amount of art.

In 2010 the format will be the same, with artists submitting a single entry at venues all over the city, all vying for the votes of those who attend and the $250,000 1st place prize. Absolute Michigan will be back to cover the event, and I sincerely hope you can make the time to go to Grand Rapids and experience ArtPrize.

Be sure to stay tuned to ArtPrize in the Absolute Michigan pool and add photos if you take them. Here's the ArtPrize 2009 video we did last year from some of the pics we received!

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Special Giveaway Alert!
As a sponsor of the 2010 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival we have the inside scoop on TWO chances to win tickets to wine events in the Traverse City region!

TOMORROW (Thursday, August 12) the Leelanau Vintners will be sending out an email and one person on their list will win TWO tickets to the 2010 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival on August 21st. Get on their email list at lpwines.com for a chance to win!

AT THE TRAVERSE CITY WINE & ART FESTIVAL ON AUGUST 21st festival attendees will have a chance to win three times: 2 tickets to the 2010 Leelanau Harvest Stompede Wine Tour in September, 2 tickets to the Old Mission's Romancing the Riesling and 2 tickets to the 2011 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival PLUS 2 nights at Holiday in West Bay in Traverse City!!

The 2010 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival takes place on August 21, 2010 at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons.

The festival features 22 wineries from the Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission and Traverse City along with food from Leelanau and Traverse City restaurants. The event was created by the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association to showcase the wine, art, food & music of our region. In addition to great food and wine, 3 arts organizations: Art Center Traverse City, Crystal Lake Art Center and the Leelanau Community Cultural Center have teamed up with the festival to create gallery tents featuring the work of over 60 area artists for show and sale.

Add a fantastic slate of live entertainment headlined by Michigan blues legend Larry McCray, reknown folk performers May Erlewine and Seth Bernard, Song of the Lakes Trio featuring Sue Wood and Michigan blues phenom Greg Nagy, a 2010 Blues Music Award nominee in the category of 'Best New Artist Debut'. The event will also feature original performance dance from several dance companies and more happenings to delight the eye and ear!

Advance tickets are $20 each, four for $60 or $25 on the day of the event. They are available online at traversecitywinefestival.com, area wineries, Turtle Creek Casino in Acme and the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau in Traverse City. Also cbe sure to consider some of the great packages offered by area hotels & resorts! Scroll down for a list of the wineries & restaurants in attendance and check out the video that Scott Allman produced on last year's festival.

Food & Wine

The photo is by Jesamin Califf - many more in her Traverse City Wine & Art Festival 2009 slideshow!

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One could argue that the beautiful northern Michigan woods makes it own kind of music. Sounds of native wildlife and wind rustling through the trees can be quite pleasing to the ears. Imagine human beings adding their own beautiful music to such a scene. In 1928, three men imagined exactly that.

Founding Fathers

Joseph Maddy, T.P. Giddings and Charles Tremaine established the National High School Orchestra Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. The three men had previously collaborated on projects for the Music Supervisors National Conference. In the 1920s, the MSNC was the nation's main organization concerning public school music instruction. Many schools added music classes in the years following World War I, and Maddy, Giddings and Tremaine advocated the practice. Maddy was a University of Michigan music professor and chairman of music in Ann Arbor public schools. Giddings supervised music in Minneapolis, Minnesota schools. Tremaine, a New York businessman from a piano manufacturing family, proved adept at financial matters.

In 1926, MSNC President Edgar Gordon asked Maddy to organize and conduct a student orchestra concert for MSNC's national convention in Detroit. Giddings and Tremaine helped him in his endeavors. The concert went well, and Maddy received high praise. In the next two years, he prepared similar programs for conventions in Dallas and Chicago.

Flushed from this success, Maddy wished to gather a similar orchestra where the student musicians could live and perform together for several consecutive weeks. He discussed his thought with Giddings. Ultimately, a Detroit businessman named Willis Pennington offered to sell some land near Traverse City. Maddy and Giddings agreed and later brought in Tremaine to handle financial matters.

Evolution

The first National High School Orchestra camp convened at Interlochen in 1928. That initial class consisted of about 115 student musicians, who lived in tents and small cabins. Over the years, the camp would grow. Beginning in the early 1930s, Interlochen offered theater, dance and visual arts classes as well as music classes. Music continued to be emphasized for awhile, though, and the camp was renamed the National Music Camp in 1932.

Finally, in 1962, the Interlochen Arts Academy opened as a year-round facility. In his book Interlochen: A Home for the Arts, Dean Boal notes that it was “the nation's first independent high school for the arts.” Today, the Interlochen Arts Academy High School and the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp continue to offer instruction to arts students.

Photo: Interlochen student Patty Albinson plays a flute by a statue of the Greek God Pan (Photo by Michigan Tourist Council, 1956)

More about Interlochen at interlochen.org!

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The LORE artists are painters Amanda Acker and Kristine Harvery; textile artist Susan Barnard; filmmaker Andrea Maio; dancer-choreographer Gretchen Eichberger; musician-painterMelonie Steffes; and poet Holly Wren Spaulding.

The production is the brainchild of co-directors Grethen Eichberger and Amanda Acker who envisioned this event as a collective of creative individuals whose work speaks in different ways to a strong sense of place. "Lore is the story of a land and its people told in a collaborative, creative new voice,” explains Acker. "I view creativity as a natural resource, and the 'LORE' ladies are abundant."

The gallery opens at 7 PM with a seated performance beginning at 8. Admission is by donation and a reception will follow featuring local, organic cuisine provided by Still Grinning Catering. For details, check out their Facebook event page, call 231-399-0099 or email.

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• 230 artist exhibitors from all over the U.S. and Canada
• 8 emerging artists affiliated with Michigan universities, colleges or art schools.
• Free performances on two stages highlighting a wide variety of music.
• Free arts activities for children and families.
• An international-style food court offering flavors from around the world.

East Lansing is a charming University town with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, galleries and the beautiful Michigan State University campus across the street. The East Lansing Art Festival is produced by the Art Festival Board of Directors under the auspices of the East Lansing Arts Commission/City of East Lansing.

The East Lansing Art Festival is held the weekend preceding Memorial Day weekend. The festival operates 10am-6pm on Saturday and 10am-5pm on Sunday.

Michigan State University Arts and Crafts Show

Celebrate spring at the Michigan State University Arts and Crafts Show on May 22nd & 23rd, 2010. In its 46th year, the show has more than 325 artists from across the nation and offers something for everyone.

The MSU Arts and Crafts Show is one of the largest arts and crafts shows in the state. This year's show includes many returning favorites as well as brand new artists. There will be a broad range of exhibitors selling handmade items. Items include; candles, furniture, jewelry, home and yard décor, aromatherapy, clothing, children's toys, painting, photography, pottery, sculpture and much more.

The Arts and Crafts Show is held outside on the grounds of the MSU Union. This show is held on Saturday and Sunday with over 300 exhibitors displaying items in a park-like setting on the MSU campus. Most exhibitors utilize portable structures for their displays. The UAB office can provide current booth fee prices. The East Lansing Art Festival is staged one block north of campus with over 225 exhibitors. More than 60,000 people annually attend these two outdoor shows.

The show takes place on the grounds of the MSU Union, near the corner of Grand River Ave. and Abbot Rd. in East Lansing. The show hours are Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission to the show is FREE!

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Petoskey Crucifix by Latitude 45

Each year for one day in late February, a hole is chopped in the ice on Little Traverse Bay off Petoskey to allow viewing of this underwater shrine to all who have lost their lives beneath the waves. Martin, who took this photo last year, writes:

This beautiful crucifix rests four fathoms under water in Little Traverse Bay, near the breakwater beacon. Jeff, who went with me, and I debated at length

1) how many feet are in a fathom (we finally agreed on four feet since both fathom and  four begin with an "F" (its actually 6 feet), and

2) how unfathomable it is that the crucifix is four fathoms deep, since it appears to be no more than 12-16 feet deep.

This was my first time to see the crucifix, since the previous three years it was canceled due to ice conditions. later today a group of divers are going to swim down for a closer view. brrrrrrrr

You can read all about the history of the Petoskey marble crucifix on Michigan in Pictures and watch the video below to see divers in the Skin Diver Church cleaning the crucifix!

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This photo is part of the 5 senses garden sculpture at the Children's Gardenat the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.

If you've never been to the gardens be sure to put it on your places to visit in 2010. Currently you can check out "Butterflies Are Blooming" which is their most popular annual exhibition and the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibit in the nation. They also feature a fantastic "Summer Concert Series" and allow patrons to bring their own picnic food and non-alcoholic beverages—in non-glass containers—to enjoy during concerts.

From angela7dreams's Flickr profile:

I am an educator, facilitator, artist and community activist. As a co-founder and associate director of LEAP (Land Empowerment Animals People), I encourage people from all walks of life to come together and share their hopes and desires as well as sorrow and despair about the condition of life here on our planet home.

Be sure to check her amazing photo sets from around the world!

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Voting is underway, and it's a great chance to see what some artists feel Michigan has going for it.

Poster: Handmade Michigan by Joseph Cissel

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